The Ultimate Back-to-School Guide for Virtual School Parents

Your virtual school child may not be physically heading back to school this fall, but it's still time for everyone (yes, you included) to gear up. A new school year marks new courses, different teachers, and a fresh start. Let's make sure you and your student get off to the best start possible.

Below, we've compiled of list of resources for the ultimate back-to-school preparation. From school supplies and organization tips to ideas for snacks and soaking up the final days of summer, you can find what you need here.

Parent and Learning Coach Preparation

• Organization Tips for New Online Learning Coaches
  If you're becoming a Learning Coach for the first time this school year, it's easy to look at your student's curriculum, workbooks, school supplies, and other materials and feel overwhelmed. The trick to overcoming this feeling? Organization. Use this handy list of organization tips to fully prepare yourself for the new school year.
• Advice from Former Learning Coach Newbies
  One of the best ways to prepare for your role as a new Learning Coach is to consider the experiences and insight from others who were once in your shoes. This is especially helpful if you have many questions and/or concerns. Take a look at this compilation of tips and advice from experienced Connections Academy families to help your transition into virtual school.

Virtual School Prep: Supplies and Organization

• An Unconventional List of Back-to-School Supplies
  Who says you have to follow a strict, traditional list of school supplies every year? We don't. Virtual school is far from traditional, so add some excitement to back-to-school supply shopping and keep learning interesting year-round with this unconventional list. From journals that encourage writing and reflection to an artist's portfolio where your student can share work, your child is sure to enjoy one of the items on this list.
• 10 Resources You Need in Your Back-to-School Toolbox
  To help you at the start of the year and beyond, we created a Back-to-School Toolbox that contains resources, tips, and reminders that can simplify the planning process. There's tips for preparing lessons, home classroom organization ideas, information on computer and Internet safety, and more! You're sure to find something to help you gear up.
• The Best School Supplies for Back-to-School
  Need another list of cool back-to-school supplies? We've got plenty. This list not only provides school supply recommendations based on 160 hours of supply evaluations to find the best of the best, but it also lists the price and where you can buy each item. Scroll through the list to see all categories, or simply pick the category you're looking for and disregard the rest.
• Home Classroom Organization Must-Dos
  Part of the back-to-school prep involves getting your home classroom in order. This is where your student learns, so it can't be chaotic, unorganized, or overwhelming. This resource provides step-by-step direction on how to create an organized home classroom in a limited space. (Psst: Keep a lookout for our upcoming instructographic with ideas for building a bulletin board planner for the home classroom—a must-have for organization purposes!)
• Roles, Routines, and Resources for Virtual School
  These three aspects of virtual school are crucial to understand and prepare for as a parent of a student of a Connections Academy–supported school. Use this helpful section of our website to better prepare yourself to provide the structure and environment that will help your student learn best.

The Best Back-to-School Pinterest Boards

• HGTV's Back-to-School Board
  This Pinterest board is geared more specifically to easy DIY tips and decorating ideas for an HGTV-fab dorm room, but some of the ideas are fabulous for adding flair to a home classroom. There are pictures and links to removable wall décor, organization tools and supplies, and much more.
• Melissa Taylor's Back-to-School Board
  Whether you want lunch ideas, activities, snacks, organization for kids, or other tips, this board has it all. One of the reasons it makes our list is because it's compiled by a real mom who knows the ins and outs of back-to-school season. There's a reason this board has over 63,000 followers. Check it out to see for yourself.
• Cool Tools for Online School
  Yes, this board is near and dear to our heart because it's our own! It was created specifically for online school families like you. In fact, this board was a part of our very first Pin to Prepare contest, which encouraged both new and experienced online school parents to create their own pinboards of resources for getting ready to head back to online school.

Meal and Snack Prep for Back-to-School

• Back-to-School Food Planner
  This list is all about recipes for simple family meals, creative lunches, and convenient breakfasts. The goal: to help ease you and your family into back-to-school mode while still allowing you to make healthy, filling meals to help fuel learning.
• Back-to-School Grocery Shopping List
  Some people work best off a quick, handy checklist. That's exactly what this is. Print off this list of groceries needed for school day breakfasts, snacks, and lunches, pop it in your purse, and bust it out at the grocery store—and you'll be ready to go come the first day of school.
• 80+ Breakfast Recipes and Ideas
  Have you seen the Connections Academy “Time for Breakfast” Pinterest board? It's loaded with delicious, easy-to-make, healthy breakfast recipes and ideas to help fuel your student's school day. Keep meals from getting stagnant and boring by trying a new recipe every so often, like once a week.

Back-to-School Health and Wellness

• Physical Health and Wellness Parent Toolkit
  Students require healthy physical development in order to thrive in school. Virtual school students are no exception to this. In this resource, Pearson's tips and guides offer grade-by-grade suggestions for supporting the healthy lifestyle your student requires.
• Tips and Guides for Social and Emotional Development
  In the same way that physical health is essential for optimal learning, so is social and emotional health. This toolkit provides a list of resources for supporting your child's social and emotional skills at each stage of development. Start the school year off right, and then continue using these tips throughout the year.
• Back-to-School Vaccinations: Is Your Child Up to Date?
  You may not be physically sending your child to school this year, but disease outbreaks still happen and could affect your child. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2014, with 668 cases from 27 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). It's up to you whether you want your child to be vaccinated, but if you do, now is the time to make sure he or she is up to date.
• Back-to-School Tips for Stressed Students
  As a parent, you may be feeling the stress associated with back-to-school, but so might your student. If your child gets especially wound up this time of year, this article can help. It provides de-stressing strategies and tips parents can implement for their children, plus real-life examples of how parents have gotten through this especially hectic time of year.

We hope this extensive list of resources makes your back-to-school season as worry-free and organized as possible. Do you have any tips or suggestions that didn't make the list? 

Or if you are considering enrolling your child in an online education, learn more about Connections Academy today.